Blood Orange Bars

Blood orange bars are a twist on a family favorite. They’re made with a simple shortbread crust, Bleuberet blood orange jam and a crumble oat topping.

Guess what fruit comes into season this time of year? Blood oranges. The crimson-colored citrus fruits are one of my faves so I was thrilled when I came across this blood orange jam—it is the perfect ingredient for crumble jam bars.

The beauty of crumble jam bars is that you can really get creative with your choice of flavored jam. Blood orange is such an eccentric flavor, I couldn’t help but want to try it in my recipe.

To make the bars, I used an adaptation of my mom’s go-to crumble bars recipe and swapped in blood orange jam. I pre-baked a simple shortbread crust, then spread Bleuberet’s blood orange jam over it and sprinkled a cinnamon oat crumble on top.

The citrusy, tart jam was theperfect filling in these bars. It contrasted the buttery shortbread crust so well, while the crumble oat topping blanketed the jam with sweetness.

With those kind of flavors and textures, it’s no wonder jam bars are a favorite in my family. I remember my mom making them while I was growing up and now I make them for my family and friends.

They always turn out to be a crowd pleaser and it’s no different with the blood orange jam filling. The citrus jam gave the bars a tangy surprise underneath the crumbly oat topping.

I also couldn’t help but think of my aunt when I was making these blood orange bars. She makes her own jams and gifts them every year for Christmas. Bleuberet’s cozy packaging with the ball jars and fabric swatches has that exact same appeal.

The trio pack is on the website and it comes in this crafty packaging (totally adding this to the holiday gifting, who needs wrapping paper anyway?) The trio includes Blood Orange Jam, Lingonberry with Orange Liqueur Jam, and Saville Orange/Apple/Whiskey Sauce.

And to my local Fairfield County readers, you can find Bleuberet products in the Darien Cheese Shop, Plum Plums Cheese in Pound Ridge, and June & Ho in Rye.

I’ve already pawned off some of these blood orange bars to a few of my lucky friends, but I kept a little stash for myself. They aren’t lasting long around the house so I know I’ll be making another batch soon!

Preheat oven to 375? F with rack in middle position. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper with a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Lightly coat parchment with nonstick cooking spray.

Shortbread Crust

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingertips, cut butter into flour mixture until it appears sandy (fine crumbs).

In a small bowl, combine milk and vanilla extract. Pour over the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine until moistened throughout. Mixture will remain crumbly. For a tender shortbread base, don't overwork dough.

Press dough into the prepared baking pan in an even layer. Bake 12-15 minutes, until center is just set and edges are just beginning to turn light brown. Remove from oven to assemble bars and leave the oven on.

Crumble Topping

While the base is baking, whisk together flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and oats. Using the same process as you did for the crust, cut butter into the flour mixture until crumbly.

Assemble the bars

Spread Bleuberet Blood Orange Jam over hot shortbread crust layer. Sprinkle crumble topping in an even layer over preserves (the crumble layer will be thick). Return to oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until crumble topping is light golden brown.

Let stand at room temperature in the baking pan until completely cooled. Slice into squares and serve. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature.

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I love aunts who make their own jams and send to family. One of my aunts makes mango jam every year and gives us a huge jar that lasts us a long time. These Bleuberet jams sound wonderful and need to get my hand on that blood orange jam to make these crumble jam bars.